Construction of the Broadway extension to the Millennium Line won’t begin until at least 2019, but the project is already generating opportunities for local workers.
Stantec Consulting Ltd., engineer for TransLink, has commissioned Golder Associates Ltd. to perform preliminary geotechnical surveys along the transit line’s proposed route this summer. City engineers are performing similar studies.
“The objective of the geotechnical work is to collect subsurface information on the soil, bedrock and groundwater along the corridor,” explained Chris Bryan, TransLink’s senior media relations adviser. “Understanding the geotechnical conditions allows the design team to plan appropriately for tunnelling in local conditions.”
The surveys promise to ensure that development plans take into account any possible delays, and avoid a repeat of the costly diversion required around Little Mountain when tunnellers for the Canada Line ran into a greater extent of granite than expected.
While contractors aren’t seeing the job opportunities right now, Fiona Famulak, president of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association, said groundwork the engineers are doing now will make for better proposals when builders become involved.
“The key to all of that lies in the owner’s approach to project definition, and team culture – those are the two linchpins,” Famulak said. “I believe that really set the tone and the opportunity for success. [TransLink is] known to be an innovative owner, and an innovative owner works backwards. … Working backwards from that end point means that a longer time needs to be spent and more investment needs to be made in that design phase to get that clarity.”
The clarity means that when all assessments have been made and approvals granted, and the project moves to tender, contractors will be able to submit bids that make good use of project dollars.
“The clearer the design is, the better quality of documents are issued for bidding purposes, and once the tender is awarded, then it means that the project can flow easily and has a better chance of coming in on time and on budget because of that investment in the design phase,” Famulak said.
The budget for extending the Millennium Line from VCC-Clark along Broadway to Arbutus is pegged at about $2 billion. Ottawa and the provincial government have pledged to match each other’s contributions, commitments that could cover up to 80% of project costs. The remainder will come from initiatives approved by TransLink’s board of directors – where a council of regional mayors holds a majority.
Clear definition of project scope and budget will also help contractors gauge labour needs and whether or not they can even access the workers needed to undertake the work.
“We’re in the midst of a skilled-labour shortage right now, and companies are having to be creative about how they source [labour for] projects,” Famulak said. “When they see the scope of the project once it comes to [the] marketplace, it’s for them to decide whether they can bid.”
Past projects have typically been pursued by global consortia of builders employing local firms as subcontractors. SAR Transit, a joint venture comprising SC Infrastructure (a division of Aecon Group Inc.), Amec E&C Services Ltd. and Rizzani de Eccher Inc., took the lead on the Millennium Line, while SNC-Lavalin was the Canada Line’s lead partner.
Ledcor, the top-ranked construction firm in the province, has no interest in the project despite experience elsewhere along the line.
“We are not pursuing that project,” said David Hoff, Ledcor’s senior vice-president of corporate communications, when asked about the project’s opportunities.
Other top builders in the province either declined comment or did not respond to interview requests.
Nevertheless, Famulak said the prospect of the long-awaited project finally getting underway is an exciting opportunity.
“The projected population growth of one million residents in Metro Vancouver by 2050 requires investment in transit now and in future,” Famulak said. “TransLink and industry have yet another opportunity coming up to show their innovative approach to design, construction and delivery.” •
